Traditional fastening tools can employ pneumatic actuation to drive a fastener into a workpiece. In these tools, air pressure from a pneumatic system can be utilized to both drive the fastener into the workpiece and to reset the tool after driving the fastener. It will be appreciated that in the pneumatic system, a hose and a compressor are required to accompany the tool. A combination of the hose, the tool and the compressor can provide for a large, heavy and bulky package that can be relatively inconvenient and cumbersome to transport. Other traditional fastening tools can be battery powered and can engage a transmission with an electric motor to drive a fastener. The energy consumption of the electric motor as it drives the transmission however, can limit battery life.
A solenoid has been used in fastening tools to drive small fasteners. Typically, the solenoid executes multiple impacts on the fastener to generate the force needed to drive the fastener into the workpiece. In other instances, corded fastening tools, i.e., connected to wall voltage, can use the solenoid to drive the fastener in a single stroke.